Few miss a day trip to the hill country landmark, 7,362-foot Adam’s Peak (Sripada). Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, and Muslims all make pilgrimages to this cone-shaped mountain with a footprint-shaped depression at the summit thought to be that of Adam—or perhaps Buddha or the Hindu lord Shiva—first stepping onto earth. Pilgrims begin their hikes around 2 A.M., following illuminated pathways lined with stalls offering white tea that grows atop the peak, in order to arrive at dawn, when the peak casts a spectacular shadow across the morning mist.
Another essential early-morning experience is hiking through the mountain-shaded serenity of Horton Plains National Park to World’s End, an escarpment that drops dramatically half a mile to the plains below. Wildlife spotters here may see sambar deer, rare bear-faced (aka purple-faced) monkeys, and, if they are extremely lucky, an elusive leopard. This is also one of Sri Lanka’s best areas for bird-watching.
Hill Country tea has long been a mainstay of Sri Lanka’s economy.
WHERE: 112 miles/180 km east of Colombo. VISITOR INFO: www.nuwaraeliya.org. HILL CLUB: Tel 94/52-222-2653; www.hillclubsrilanka.net. Cost: dinner $15. TEA FACTORY: Tel 94/52-222-9600; www.heritancehotels.com. Cost: from $210. CEYLON TEA TRAILS: Tel 94/11-230-3888; www.teatrails.com. Cost: from $505 (off-peak), from $630 (peak), inclusive. SRIPADA: http://sripada.org. When: pilgrimage season Dec–Apr; Jan–Feb are the busiest months. BEST TIME: Dec–Apr for the drier months.
A Ride on the Roof of the World
PAMIR HIGHWAY
Tajikistan
To locals, it’s known simply as the M41. To foreign travelers heading deep into Central Asia, it’s the legendary Pamir Highway. This incredibly scenic road begins at Khorog, in southern Tajikistan, and loops its way north through the raw Pamir Mountains before dropping down into the lush Fergana Valley, completing the route at Osh, in Kyrgyzstan (see p. 560). Bring your camera—the photo ops will leave you breathless (as will the thin mountain air).
The Russian Red Army constructed the M41 Highway between 1931 and 1934. It is an engineering feat reaching a top elevation of 15,362 feet at the Ak-Baital Pass. The 450-mile journey will take a minimum of 3 days, and should be done in a 4WD vehicle with a local driver or by organized trip. With more time, there are endless opportunities for hikes and exploration of little-visited historic sites and villages. If the ride seems a bit too long and arduous, think of Marco Polo, who traversed this mountain range (and wrote, in awe, about its beauty) en route to China in far more primitive conditions.
A delightful place to start the journey is Khorog, a bustling mountain town slung along the fast-flowing Gunt River near the Afghanistan border. From here, the M41 climbs steadily in the Pamirs. Some of the highest mountains in the world, they are known locally as the Bam-i-Dunya (“Roof of the World”). Enormous, snowcapped peaks come into view, along with the occasional village, turquoise lake, or solitary yurt.
Murghak marks the halfway point. It lacks the charm of Khorog but has a good range of facilities, including a few welcoming guesthouses that serve hot, homemade meals. The town makes a great base for hikes and camel treks, with nights spent in a yurt. From here, one of the geographic highlights on the way to Kyrgyzstan is Kara-Kul, a lake formed by the impact of a meteor some 10 million years ago.
Once you’ve reached Osh, across the border, take a breather, shake the dust from your boots, and plot the next stage of your trip—over the mountains to Bishkek, across the Chinese border to Kashgar (see p. 500), or west to Uzbekistan (see p. 587) and Tashkent.
Traversing the only pass through the mountains, the Pamir Highway once formed part of the Silk Road.
WHERE: Khorog is located 170 miles/274 km southeast of the capital city of Dushanbe. VISITOR INFO: www.pamirs.org. HOW: Dushanbe-based Hamsafar Travel can make arrangements for jeep tours. Tel 992/37-228-0093; www.hamsafar-travel.com. U.S.-based MIR Corp organizes an 18-day trip through Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan that travels a portion of the Pamir Highway. Tel 800-424-7289 or 206-624-7289; www.mircorp.com. Cost:$6,995. Originates in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. When: Aug. BEST TIME: mid-May–Sep is the only practical season to cross the high mountain passes.
A Byzantine Wonderland Created by Wind, Water, and Time
CAPPADOCIA
Anatolia, Turkey
Countless centuries of wind and water have sculpted Cappadocia’s surrealistic landscape from the soft volcanic terrain: Minarets, cones, spires, “fairy chimneys,” and rocky pinnacles in shades of pinks and russet brown soar as high as five-story buildings. Ancient inhabitants of Cappadocia (Kapadokya in Turkish) hollowed out the soft tufa (limestone) cones and cliffs to create cave dwellings that are still lived in today. Once a major trade route between East and West, Cappadocia was home to a dozen different civilizations. The early Christians arrived in the 4th century, sculpting from the rock domed churches, complete with vaulted ceilings, columns, and pews. The region is spread over about 50 square miles encompassing numerous towns and villages.
The open-air museum in Göreme is the site of an ancient monastic colony, once said to have had more than 400 churches, hermitages, and small monasteries, most sculpted from the rock face. Today 15 are open to the public. Some are covered with simple frescoes that date back to the 8th century, but it’s the rich Byzantine ones from the 10th through the 13th centuries that are the most striking.
Few topographies are as thrilling to see from a hot-air balloon’s vantage than that of Cappadocia. Float over the inhabited moonscape from April through October, when visibility is best. Then explore the other extreme: Dozens of subterranean towns, carved from the stone, extend as far as eight levels below ground. The most frequently visited are those entered at the village of Kaymakli, about 12 miles from Göreme. Some of these cave-cities date back to the Hittite times (1500 B.C.) and were expanded over the centuries as the dwellers welcomed the protection from marauding armies that the subterranean homes afforded them. Churches, wine presses, livestock pens, and intricate airshafts ensured that underground populations could last for months without surfacing.
The town of Göreme was originally a backpackers’ hangout, but now can claim a wealth of accommodations, ranging from hostels to boutique cave hotels. Ürgüp, just ten minutes from Göreme, caters to those with a slightly higher budget. The ever popular ten-room Esbelli Evi located there maintains an inviting, personal atmosphere; most of its rooms are suites hewn from golden stone, with terraces that give way to views of the Cappadocian landscape. The utterly unique Yunak Evleri is a romantic beehive of 30 rooms carved out of six tastefully restored caves dating back as far as the 5th century. Warm hardwood floors, kilim carpets, Ottoman antiques, and a 19th-century Greek mansion façade give it a Mediterranean elegance.
WHERE: Ürgüp is 41 miles/66 km southwest of Kayseri, the closest city with an airport. GÖREME OPEN-AIR MUSEUM: Tel 90/384-271-2687; www.goreme.com. BALLOON RIDES: Royal Balloon offers 60- and 90-minute flights. Tel 90/384-271-3300; www.royalballoon.com. Cost: 60-minute flight from $180. ESBELLI EVI: Tel 90/384-341-3395; www.esbelli.com. Cost: from $200. When: closed Nov–Mar. YUNAK EVLERI: Tel 90/384-341-6920; www.yunak.com. Cost: from $175 (off-peak), from $245 (peak). BEST TIMES: Apr–Jun and Sep–Oct for nicest weather.
Dazzling Both Ancient Romans and Modern-Day Visitors
PAMUKKALE
Anatolia, Turkey
A beautiful freak of nature, Pamukkale (Cotton Castle) resembles a series of bleached rice terraces as you approach. The white travertine tiers, joined together like huge water lilies by petrified waterfalls and gleaming stalactites, are the result of hot mineral springs, whose calcium-rich deposits have been accumulating for millennia. A popular resort since Roman times, the springs draw gatherings of festive tourists. Pamukkale is especially mesmerizing at sunset, when the colors of the pools warm from dazzling white to the muted pinks and purples of the sky.
Nowadays very few pools are open to the public, with preservation codes dictating that anything more than a wallow in the 97°F shin-deep waters is prohibite
d. For a deeper plunge, visitors can enjoy relaxing mineral baths, just as the Romans did, at the nearby ancient spa town of Hierapolis. In the modernized Sacred Pool, constantly refreshed by thermal waters, bathers can swim among and over submerged ancient marble columns, plinths, and other architectural remains leveled by earthquakes over the ages. An entire day could be spent exploring Hierapolis, whose ruins include a spectacular amphitheater designed to hold 12,000 spectators.
Follow in the footsteps of the pilgrims who have been coming to nearby Aphrodisias, the city of Aphrodite (known as Venus to the Romans), to pay homage to the goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality since the 8th century B.C. Archaeological remains suggest a sacred site existed here 2 millennia before that, on the broad, fertile Meander River Valley, 80 miles southwest of Pamukkale.
Many visitors try to see it all in a rushed day trip from the hyperactive cruise-ship port of Kuşadasi or cosmopolitan Izmir. For a more relaxed visit and a chance to explore Pamukkale after the tour groups have left, stay at the simply furnished, family-run Hotel Hal-Tur. What the place lacks in superfluous amenities it makes up for in friendly service and tasty dinners served beside the floodlit pool. Most of the hotel’s 11 rooms have balconies with panoramic views of the travertine formations that glow in the moonlight.
The terracelike appearance of Pamukkale is the natural result of petrified waterfalls.
WHERE: 116 miles/186 km east of Kuşadasi. HOTEL HAL-TUR: Tel 90/258-272-2723; www.haltur.net. Cost: from $95. BEST TIMES: May–Jun and Sep–Oct for cooler weather.
Sailing the Turquoise Coast
THE BLUE VOYAGE
Bodrum and Antalya, Turkey
A sailing odyssey along Turkey’s Turquoise Coast unveils the glories of the region’s ancient cultures. Whether chartered by a group or individually rented by the cabin, a fully crewed wooden gület, the two-masted diesel-propelled boat of traditional design, is the perfect way to explore the sinuous coast that stretches over 300 miles from Bodrum, on the Aegean, south and eastward to the Mediterranean port city of Antalya. The waters here take on a luminous blue that can be found nowhere else in Europe, giving rise to the local phrase mavi yolculuk, or “blue voyage.” Along the way, boats take in Greco-Roman and Lycian ruins, sun-drenched beaches, lazy lunches at dockside cafés, and even a small uninhabited island given to Cleopatra as a gift by Mark Antony.
Cruises usually cast off from Antalya, Fethiye, or Bodrum, a whitewashed seaside resort whose harbor is dominated by the striking Petronium, or St. Peter’s Castle, built in 1402 by the Rhodes-based Knights Hospitaller. Surrounded on three sides by water, it is one of the finest examples of Crusader architecture in Turkey, and was built from the remains of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the 4th-century B.C. marble tomb built for King Mausolus by his sister and wife, Artemesia. Inside St. Peter’s Castle, the unusual Museum of Underwater Archaeology is a showcase of historic wrecks and treasures found off the Aegean coast.
These are supreme cruising waters, with scores of anchorages dotting the bays, inlets, and harbors between Bodrum and Antalya. Even a one-day sail from Bodrum to the gorgeous mountain-rimmed Gökova Körfezi (Gökova Gulf) is a joy for the secluded cove and a simple fish lunch prepared by your crew. Some cruises focus on natural beauty, while others explore the fascinating history and archaeology of the region, and standards vary from Spartan bunks to luxurious berths.
Bodrum has changed considerably in the past few decades and is widely known today as the fashionable and busy yachting center of the Aegean. Hotels range from small in-town inns such as the welcoming oasis-like 20-room El Vino Hotel with views of St. Peter’s Castle, to large swank resorts like the stylish Kepinski Hotel Barbaros Bay, a 30-minute drive from town. They both offer pampering and privacy that are heaven after a week spent on a boat. Or consider a stay on the less developed stretch called the Lycian Coast (see p. 584), south of Bodrum and on the way to Antalya.
WHERE: Antalya is 452 miles/727 km south of Istanbul; Bodrum is 266 miles/429 km west of Antalya. MUSEUM OF UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY: Tel 90/252-316-2516. HOTEL EL VINO: Tel 90/252-313-8770; www.elvinobodrum.com. Cost: from $75. KEPINSKI HOTEL BARBAROS BAY: Tel 90/252-311-0303; www.kempinski.com/en/bodrum. Cost: from $145 (off-peak), from $450 (peak). HOW: U.K.-based Peter Sommer Tours offers 1- and 2-week gület cruises. Tel 44/1600-888-220; www.petersommer.com. Cost: from $2,875, inclusive. Originates in Bodrum or Antalya. When: May–Jun, Sep–Oct. BEST TIMES: May–Jun and Sep–Oct to avoid the big tour groups that come in Jul–Aug.
Unspoiled Turkey on the Aegean
THE DATÇA PENINSULA
Turkey
The long, mountainous Datça Peninsula points its narrow finger into the sea for 60 miles west of Marmaris. Unlike that loud and brash resort town so popular with package tourists and visitors in search of all-day nightlife, this is Turkey at its wildest and most unspoiled. Boaters appreciate the pine-clad coasts and hundreds of secluded coves. Others come to explore sleepy fishing villages and isolated mountain hamlets or, at the end of the peninsula’s single roadway, the ruins of Cnidus. This once prosperous port, dating back to 400 B.C. and including two amphitheaters, enjoys a spectacular location on hills giving directly onto the sea.
From Cnidus, retrace your steps to the delightful harbor town of Datça. A cluster of simple but excellent portside restaurants, the nearby picture-postcard town of Eski Datça (Old Datça), and three small beaches make it a favorite post-ruins stop.
Enjoying an isolated bluff-top location outside of town, the castlelike but newly built Villa Aşina has 17 themed rooms, some with carved wooden ceilings. The views of the sea are almost 360 degrees, and there’s direct access to two sandy beaches. Villa Tokur, closer to town and just uphill from the town’s best beach, commands a similar hilltop position. The airy rooms and public areas are stylishly done, with an emphasis on stone and wrought iron, and the swimming pool is the centerpiece of a pretty flower-bedecked garden.
Arguably the most beautiful palace hotel on the Turkish coast is the Mehmet Ali Aǧa Konaǧi in Reşadiye, just north of Eski Datça. Home to a wealthy local family for centuries and recently restored, the konak (residence), dating from the early 19th century, and four small buildings set amid lush gardens and pool are a veritable museum of Ottoman art and craftsmanship. The family hammam has been converted into a modern spa, the artwork throughout is original, and the ceiling and wall engravings in the main house are masterpieces of restoration. Walk through the rose garden and citrus grove to reach the hotel’s celebrated restaurant, Elaki, with exquisite meze and fish and meat dishes from Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean regions.
WHERE: Marmaris is 290 miles/466 km southwest of Istanbul. VILLA AŞINA: Tel 90/252-712-2444; www.villaasina.com.tr. Cost: from $125. VILLA TOKUR: 90/252-712-8728; www.hoteltokur.com. Cost: from $90. MEHMET ALI AĞA KONAĞI: Tel 90/252-712-9257; www.kocaev.com. Cost: from $220 (off-peak), from $410 (peak); dinner $65. BEST TIME: May–Oct for pleasant weather.
Turkey’s Most Spectacular Roman Ruins
EPHESUS
Turkey
One of the best-preserved ancient cities in the world, Ephesus is Turkey’s showpiece of archaeology. Although it is now 3 miles away from the Aegean Sea, Ephesus was one of the wealthiest trading port cities of the Greco-Roman era, ideally situated between the Near East and the Mediterranean ports of the West. Its extensive and impressive ruins testify to its ancient role as capital of the Roman province of Asia—in the time of Augustus Caesar, it was the second largest city in the eastern Mediterranean after Alexandria (see p. 375).
Today, a mile-long marble-paved street grooved by chariot wheels leads past partially reconstructed buildings, such as the Great Theater, with a capacity of 25,000 spectators, and the beautiful two-story Celsus Library built in A.D. 135, one of the most graceful surviving buildings of antiquity. The Greek Temple of Artemis (known to the Romans as Diana) was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Only the foundations remain, but during Ephesus�
�s golden day in the mid-4th century B.C., it was four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens (see p. 156), with a forest of 127 marble columns 60 feet high supporting the roof. The recently opened terraced houses—a warren of villas belonging to the city’s rich and famous—rival Pompeii (see p. 179) in their splendor. Ephesus continued to flourish until the 3rd century, when it was razed by Goth invaders from northern Europe. Hundreds of columns and statues disappeared from the site over the ensuing centuries; some showed up in Constantinople and were used to build and embellish its Byzantine cathedrals. Nevertheless, the Ephesus Museum has one of the best collections of Roman and Greek artifacts to be found in Turkey.
Just outside the sprawling archaeological site of Ephesus is Meryem Ana Evi, the House of the Virgin Mary. Rediscovered by a German nun in the 19th century, it has become an important pilgrimage site—it is believed to be the final home of the Virgin, who was brought to Ephesus in her later years by St. John the Evangelist.
The typical jumping-off point for this and a variety of other sights, including the nearby Greek island of Sámos, is Kuşadasi, a major Aegean resort and popular destination for cruise ships and pleasure craft just 10 miles away. Skip its international playground atmosphere and head instead 72 miles northwest of Ephesus to Alaçati, a lively and picturesque village of restored Greek stone houses. Join the well-heeled Turkish visitors who come for its small, fine restaurants, craft shops, and buzzy atmosphere, and water-lovers who are lured by the excellent windsurfing. An estimated 80 boutique inns line the cobbled, winding streets of what was until fairly recently a sleepy hamlet. The chic Taş Otel is a special choice: The 19th-century building features only seven rooms, each flaunting 15-foot ceilings, linen curtains trimmed with handmade lace, fluffy bedding, and a charming personal ambience. The breakfast spread served on the leafy open-air terrace is renowned.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 91
